1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to radio broadcasting and, more particularly, to methods of and apparatus for improving AM compatible digital broadcast analog fidelity.
2. Description of Related Art
There has been increasing interest in the possibility of broadcasting digitally encoded audio signals to provide improved audio fidelity. Several approaches have been suggested. One such approach, set forth in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 08/206,368, filed Mar. 7, 1994, assigned to the assignee hereof, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,022, teaches a method for simultaneously broadcasting analog and digital signals in a standard AM broadcasting channel. An amplitude modulated radio frequency signal having a first frequency spectrum is broadcast. The amplitude modulated radio frequency signal includes a first carrier modulated by an analog program signal. Simultaneously, a plurality of digitally modulated carrier signals are broadcast within a bandwidth which encompasses the first frequency spectrum. Each of the digitally modulated carrier signals is modulated by a portion of a digital program signal. A first group of the digitally modulated carrier signals lies within the first frequency spectrum and is modulated in quadrature with the first carrier signal. Second and third groups of the digitally modulated carrier signals lie outside of the first frequency spectrum and are modulated both in-phase and in-quadrature with the first carrier signal. Both transmitters and receivers are provided in accordance with that method.
Monophonic detectors for consumer AM radios respond only to the envelope and not the phase of the received signal. For this reason, when digital transmission is added to an amplitude modulated system, envelope distortion is minimized if the digital information is placed in quadrature with the amplitude modulated carrier. The waveform in the AM compatible digital audio broadcasting system described in U.S. Pat No. 5,558,022 hereby incorporated herein by reference, combines analog amplitude modulation with multiple digitally modulated carriers in the same spectrum as the analog AM signal. Because of the use of the multiple digitally modulated carriers, there is a need for a means to reduce the envelope distortion caused by this hybrid signal.